A few days ago on May 23, former President of Singapore, Mdm Halimah took to social media to denounce an ongoing blockade by Israel that is preventing humanitarian aid from entering Gaza.
Calling it a “humanitarian catastrophe”, she wrote on Facebook that “keeping quiet makes us complicit in the violations of international humanitarian laws and encourages similar aggression elsewhere. Our world is all the poorer for it.”
Although this is not the first time Mdm Halimah has publicly criticised Israel’s actions in Gaza, her most recent lament over the mounting death toll of the Palestinians and evident frustration at the world’s (and possibly Singapore’s?) inaction drew the attention of a social commentary website, Critical Spectator.
On the website, Polish national Michael Petraeus took issue with Mdm Halimah’s assertion that “keeping quiet” about the crisis “makes us complicit”. He noted that Mdm Halimah has not made similar public statements about other crises in Sudan or Myanmar and implied that based on her own moral reasoning, it would also make Mdm Halimah complicit in quite a few humanitarian disasters.
Whether we agree with Mdm Halimah or with what Critical Spectator has pointed out, I think we can all acknowledge that having compassion and being willing to speak up for those who are deprived of a voice or suffering under gross injustice are virtues every society would like to see more of. Regardless of our political inclinations or religious convictions, I would think that these are character traits that everyone should be encouraged to cultivate.
Nevertheless, as Christians, we must not then be misguided into thinking that God expects us to publicly decry every wrongdoing or be proactively championing every social cause before we can be considered innocent of any moral complicity. Indeed, if we are to apply Mdm Halimah’s moral standards consistently to ourselves, I fear that none of us can stand up to scrutiny. If we will all have blood on our hands, how then can we find redemption?
To be sure, there is a place for Christians to use media or other platforms to prophetically speak truth to power. But while God has called us to be salt and light of this world, many of us do not feel capable of addressing the masses or holding those in authority accountable. For that matter, few would possess the intellect, emotional bandwidth, time and resources needed to engage and grapple with what are often complex issues.
In addition, we should be mindful that there is a season for everything. Wisdom also requires us to discern whether speaking up publicly is the only morally valid response to show our concern. Sometimes, it could simply be virtue-signalling rather than a sincere desire for justice to be carried out and a way to stand in solidarity with those who are suffering.
Furthermore, organising demonstrations, joining in protest marches or resorting to boycotts may only hold people’s attention for at best a short period of time before they move on to another “newsworthy” event. Such overt attempts to pressure an organisation or nation into action seldom offer any timely or practical help to the victims on the ground.
Not surprisingly, there are instances when the Bible talks about being complicit if one remains silent, albeit from a different perspective. In his farewell speech to believers in Ephesus, the Apostle Paul shared that “Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:26-28).
A possible reason why Paul declared that he was “innocent of the blood of all, for I did shrink from declaring the whole counsel of God” could be that he saw himself as being under the same spiritual obligation as prophet Ezekiel in the Old Testament.
In Ezekiel 33:1-9, Ezekiel was likened to be a watchman responsible for warning the city’s inhabitants of impending enemy threat. As God’s appointed watchman, God warned Ezekiel that he would be deemed guilty if he fails to “speak up”.
But if he faithfully go forth to warn Jerusalem of God’s impending judgment and urge the people to repent, he would then be relieve of blame:
“So you, son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning. If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.” (v.7-9)
Likewise Paul understood the sacred responsibility he was entrusted with pertaining to establishing the faith of the believers. As a faithful and loving pastor, he did not shrink from warning the believers about the consequences of hardening their hearts against God nor did he shy away from difficult parts of Scripture. If anything would profit their soul, he taught it without apology.
Although most of us are not prophets or pastors, I think it is suffice to say that God has called every Christian to sober-minded, watchful about the impending return of Christ to judge the world (Matthew 24:42-44). We are also to set apart Christ as Lord (1 Peter 3:15), prayerfully seeking God about how we can lovingly and readily share the Gospel with others.
Now more than ever, people need to understand that their response to Jesus is not inconsequential but a matter of life and death. They need to know that the reason Jesus came is that God does not take pleasure in executing justice (Ezekiel 33:11) but delights in giving life. His grace is available to all who recognise that they have fallen short of God’s righteousness, regardless of how much one has sought to speak up on behalf of others.
Even if we may face resistance and apathy, let us press on through our lives and words to help others know about Jesus, God’s gift of salvation. After all, if we truly care about the present suffering of people around the world, how can we care any less about their eternal suffering?
